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Friend of Tortoise Exclusive

The Sun (set): is the age of the tabloid over?

The Sun (set): is the age of the tabloid over?

This event is exclusive to Friends of Tortoise

This is a newsroom ThinkIn. In-person and digital-only tickets are available.

For 40 years, the Sun was the UK’s best selling newspaper. It was knocked from that top spot by the Daily Mail in 2019, and earlier this year owner Rupert Murdoch wrote down the value of his Sun newspapers (which include the Sun on Sunday and the Scottish Sun) to zero. Huge losses of around £200 million, largely down to settlements and fees generated by the fallout of phone hacking scandals, were compounded by the pandemic and the terminal decline of mass market print media. Letting it go would be a huge personal and symbolic loss for Murdoch. Are the days of the Sun — or any of the redtops — being able to influence elections and sway public opinion over?  If the internet can provide a never-ending source of manufactured outrage and salacious showbiz gossip, what are the redtops even for?

editor

Matthew d’Ancona
Editor